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MLB.com’s Matthew Leach has`some excellent news for Cardinals fans and those lucky enough to land the No. 1 pick in fantasy drafts this spring. Albert Pujols, who has dealt with a right elbow injury for much of his career, has been given a 95 percent chance of avoiding Tommy John surgery. “If I recall, that’s…

UPDATE: The New York Times’ Tyler Kepner reports that Strasburg threw 37 pitches. Ladson even took a picture. 9:31pm: Stephen Strasburg, selected No. 1 overall in last year’s draft, is scheduled to throw his first bullpen session of the spring on Sunday. MASN has a story about it this morning, ESPN’s Baseball Tonight is stopping…

In one of the oddest stories you’ll read this spring, MLB.com’s Mark Bowman writes that Braves outfielder Nate McLouth changed his number to 24 this offseason because of a certain television program that uses the same digits. “The only reason that I took 24,” McLouth said Saturday, “is because it’s my favorite TV show and Lost isn’t…

When Major League Baseball decided Saturday to officially outlaw guns in clubhouses we figured the story would draw a few laughs and maybe some snarky remarks. What we didn’t expect, however, was serious, disappointed reaction from a current professional. According to the always reliable St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Cardinals closer Ryan Franklin didn’t take too kindly to…

Jorge Posada made an interesting observation on Saturday evening, comparing current Yankees ace CC Sabathia to former teammate David Wells. (George King III of the New York Post gathered the quote). “He could pitch for 50 more years,” Posada of the 29-year-old Sabathia. “He has an arm like David Wells.” It’s not hard to find…

We’ve all expected it for a while, and it isn’t yet official, but Jeff Fletcher of AOL Fanhouse reports that the Dodgers are finalizing a one-year extension with manager Joe Torre that will keep him in Los Angeles through 2011. Torre, who turns 70 in July, signed a three-year, $13 million contract with the Dodgers…

Eric Gagne addressed questions about his past connections to performance-enhancing drugs upon arriving to Dodgers’ camp on Saturday, according to Jeff Fletcher of AOL Fanhouse: “I’ve said it 150 times, it’s always going to be on my resume for the rest of my life,” Gagne told reporters. “People will second-guess everything I do and if…

Update: Andro has some further clarification, saying Holland iced the knee and is wearing a black sleeve on it. He will have an MRI on Monday, if needed, but the young pitcher doesn’t think it is anything serious. 1:40 PM: Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports that Holland can’t get an MRI on…

Update: Omar Minaya’s offseason catching cavalcade has finally come to an end. The Mets have come to terms with Rod Barajas to a one-year, $1 million contract. He can take home an additional $1 million in “easily-attainable” incentives. 3:11 PM: Heyman says Texas has increased their offer to more than $1.5 million, but Barajas is…

Carlos Delgado recently underwent another hip surgery, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com, but he stills plans on attempting a comeback, according to his agent David Sloane. The 37-year-old first baseman recently felt a twinge in his hip after playing winter ball in his native Puerto Rico to mixed reviews. He is expected to be out…

Mets owner Fred Wilpon spoke with the media during the first day of workouts for pitchers and catchers, calling the recent offseason “torture.” I’m sure a lot of this emotion had to do with the strife surrounding the dispute with Carlos Beltran, but he also sympathizes with fans who are understandably frustrated that the team…

You’re reading that correctly. After committing nearly $30 million to Pedro Feliz, Brandon Lyon, Brett Myers, Jason Michaels, Geoff Blum and Brian Moehler this offseason, the Astros have extended the contract of general manager Ed Wade through the 2012 season, reports Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. An official announcement is expected later this afternoon. Wade was…

David DeJesus tells Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star that he’s cool with moving to right field: “It’s one of those things,” DeJesus said. “I know I had a good year in left. But we’re a team that needs a right fielder. Trey called me, and now I’m a right fielder. I’m going to…

Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune reports that shortstop Ryan Theriot will earn $2.6 million this season after losing his arbitration hearing with the Cubs. He requested $3.4 million when arbitration figures were exchanged last month. Theriot, 31, batted .284/.343/.369 with seven home runs, 54 RBI, 21 stolen bases and 81 runs scored last season.…

Many assume that if the White Sox indeed pull their offer to Johnny Damon it pretty much means the “Tigers or bust,” but don’t forget that the Braves have already offered Damon a one-year contract with some deferred money — somewhere around $4 million or less. After Friday’s developments, Braves general manager Frank Wren told…

Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News, one of my favorite beat reporters, unearthed some interesting details about Bengie Molina’s new contract with the Giants: And as I discovered today, even a small reduction in playing time could take a lot of money out of Molina’s pocket. That’s because the veteran catcher has significant…

Earlier Matthew asked whether Jerry Manuel’s idea to bat Jose Reyes third is a good idea. Here’s a second question: Would it make a difference? It probably won’t. There have been multiple studies of lineup optimization over the years. For the most part they conclude that the particular lineup doesn’t make a whole hell of…

Update: Wait! Maybe the White Sox aren’t out of it, at least according to what Kenny Williams told Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times: “If circumstances change in the next 24 hours I certainly will be willing to revisit it,” Williams said. “Jermaine Dye cashed in big time for something like this, taking less money…